US20060113764A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20060113764A1
Application number: US10/904,840
Authority: US
Inventors: Michael Tracht
Original assignee: Lear Corp
Current assignee: Lear Corp
Priority date: 2004-12-01
Filing date: 2004-12-01
Publication date: 2006-06-01
Also published as: GB2420759A; DE102005057438A1; GB0524469D0; GB2420759B

Abstract

A vehicle seat assembly includes a frame for mounting the seat to a vehicle. The seat assembly also includes a seat pad molded from a polymeric material and located proximate the frame. A trim cover is disposed over the seat pad, and includes a seam adjacent a side of the seat pad. An airbag assembly, which includes an airbag and an inflator configured to supply gas to the airbag, is also part of the seat assembly. A pad shield is molded in situ with the seat pad, and covers at least a portion of the seat pad for protecting it during deployment of the airbag. The pad shield includes first and second portions which form a deployment channel for the airbag, and thereby inhibit contact of the airbag with the seat pad as the airbag deploys.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a vehicle seat assembly, and in particular, a seat assembly including an airbag.

2. Background Art

Vehicles today are increasingly equipped with side airbags, which may be in the form of a side air curtain disposed in a headliner of the vehicle, or alternatively, may be an airbag disposed within a vehicle seat assembly. One limitation of airbags that are located within a seat assembly, is that the airbag needs to break through the seating material before it can fully deploy to protect a vehicle occupant. During deployment, such an airbag may encounter foam, or other seat pad materials, and must then break through a seat trim cover in order to escape from the seat assembly.

A number of attempts have been made to facilitate deployment of airbags from and through a vehicle seat assembly. One such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,610 issued to Higashiura et al. on Oct. 6, 1998. Higashiura et al. describes a seat structure having a side impact airbag apparatus. A seat back pad of the seat structure may be made from foam, in which case the airbag apparatus is surrounded by a lining member. The lining member has a perforation to facilitate its breaking when the airbag deploys. The seat back itself is covered with a surface layer having a seam almost directly opposite the perforation in the lining member. In this way, the airbag deploys through the perforation in the lining member, breaks through the foam of the seat pad, and exits the seat structure through the seam in the surface layer. One limitation of the seat structure described in Higashiura et al., is that the airbag must deploy through the seat pad prior to exiting the seat structure. In particular, the airbag, which may be moving with very high velocity, impacts the foam seat pad as it exits the seat structure. This can cause pieces of the seat pad to be expelled from the seat as the airbag exits the seat cover. Therefore, a need exists for a seat assembly that includes protection for the seat pad from the deploying airbag.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides a vehicle seat assembly including a seat pad, and a pad shield configured to protect the seat pad during deployment of an airbag from within the seat assembly.

The invention also provides a pad shield molded in situ with the seat pad, thereby providing for accurate locating of the pad shield, and eliminating a post-molding assembly operation.

The invention further provides a vehicle seat assembly including a frame for mounting the seat to the vehicle. A seat pad includes a molded polymeric material, and is disposed proximate the frame. A trim cover is disposed over the seat pad, and includes a seam adjacent a side of the seat pad. An airbag assembly is provided, which includes an airbag and an inflator which is configured to supply gas to the airbag, thereby facilitating deployment of the airbag. A pad shield is molded in situ with the seat pad, and covers at least a portion of the seat pad for protecting the seat pad during deployment of the airbag. The pad shield includes first and second portions forming a deployment channel therebetween for the airbag, thereby inhibiting contact of the airbag with the seat pad during deployment of the airbag.

The invention also provides a vehicle seat assembly, including a frame for mounting the seat to a vehicle. A seat pad includes a molded polymeric material disposed proximate the frame. A trim cover is disposed over the seat pad, and includes a seam adjacent a side of the seat pad. An airbag assembly is also provided, and includes an airbag and an inflator configured to supply gas to the airbag, thereby facilitating deployment of the airbag. A pad shield is molded in situ with the seat pad, and covers at least a portion of the seat pad for protecting the seat pad during the deployment of the airbag. The pad shield includes two separate portions cooperating with each other to form a deployment channel therebetween for the airbag such that deployment of the airbag along the deployment channel moves a portion of the seat pad away from the deploying airbag, while the pad shield inhibits contact between the seat pad and the deploying airbag. The orientation of the deployment channel facilitates deployment of the airbag through the seam in the trim cover.

The invention further provides a vehicle seat assembly, including a frame for mounting the seat to a vehicle, and a seat pad including a molded polymeric material. The seat pad is disposed proximate the frame. A trim cover is disposed over the seat pad, and includes a seam adjacent a side of the seat pad. An airbag assembly is also provided, and includes an airbag disposed at least partially within an airbag housing, and an inflator configured to supply gas to the airbag, thereby facilitating deployment of the airbag. A blocking member is molded in situ with the seat pad, and is configured to form a barrier on at least two sides of the airbag, thereby prohibiting contact between the airbag and the seat pad during the deployment of the airbag.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side view of a portion of a seat assembly in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the seat assembly shown inFIG. 1, taken through line2-2; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a detail of the seat assembly shown inFIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

FIG. 1 shows a portion of aseat assembly10 in accordance with the present invention. Theseat assembly10 includes aseat back12, aback panel14, andseat pad16 covered by atrim cover18. Theseat pad16 is made from a molded polymeric material, such as a polyurethane foam. The use of a polymeric foam material to construct theseat pad16 is cost effective and provides the flexibility needed to easily change the shape of the seat pad for different types of seat assemblies. Of course, other types of polymeric materials may be molded to form a seat pad, such as theseat pad16.

Disposed within theseat back12 is anairbag assembly20. As shown inFIG. 2, theairbag assembly20 includes anairbag22 and aninflator24, which is configured to supply gas to theairbag22, thereby facilitating deployment of theairbag22. Also shown inFIG. 2 is a portion of aseat frame26 which can be used for mounting theseat assembly10 to a vehicle. Theseat pad16 is disposed proximate theframe26 and may be directly attached to theframe26 at various points. Thetrim cover18 includes aseam28 which is adjacent to aside30 of theseat pad16. Covering at least a portion of theseat pad16 is apad shield32. As explained more fully below, thepad shield32 protects theseat pad16 during deployment of theairbag22.

Thepad shield32 may be made from any material effective to protect theseat pad16 during deployment of theairbag22. For example, a woven or non-woven cloth material, which may include natural or synthetic materials such as nylon. One material that is found to be effective is a polyester material, of the type from which theairbag22 may be manufactured. Regardless of the type of material used to make thepad shield32, the use of thepad shield32 can reduce friction on theairbag22 as it deploys. Although a polymer such as nylon may be particularly beneficial, even a fleece material will help reduce the friction on theairbag22. This is because thepad shield32 inhibits contact between the deployingairbag22 and theseat pad16. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 2, thepad shield32 is effective to prohibit all contact between the deployingairbag22 and theseat pad16. This helps to prevent energy loss from theairbag22 by decreasing friction and protecting theseat pad16 from damage. This, in turn, helps to reduce the deployment time for theairbag22.

Thepad shield32 is molded in situ with theseat pad16—i.e., thepad shield32 is placed in a mold and thefoam seat pad16 is formed around it. This provides a number of advantages over typical assembly methods which may include placing a material in a seat pad after the foam has been molded. For example, molding thepad shield32 in situ helps to ensure that it will be accurately located to provide maximum protection for theseat pad16. Moreover, the use of an additional adhesive can be eliminated, as the foam material used for theseat pad16 will naturally adhere to thepad shield32. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 2, the additional step of placing material within a seat assembly is also eliminated—i.e., thepad shield32 is installed at the same time theseat pad16 is installed.

Thepad shield32 includes first and

second portions

34,36 which form adeployment channel38 for theairbag22. When thepad shield32 is placed in the mold to form theseat pad16, some of the first and

second portions

34,36 are located immediately adjacent each other for some predetermined length. This forms thedeployment channel38, shown inFIG. 2. As theairbag22 deploys through thedeployment channel38, thepad shield32 acts as a blocking member that forms a barrier on twosides39,41 of theairbag22, thereby inhibiting contact between theairbag22 and theseat pad16. Thus, theseat pad16 is moved away from theairbag22 as it deploys through thedeployment channel38.

As shown inFIG. 2, thedeployment channel38 is oriented to facilitate deployment of theairbag22 through theseam28 in thetrim cover18. In particular, theairbag assembly20 includes a housing40 which at least partially surrounds theairbag22 and theinflator24. The housing40 includes a front42 and a back44 which are generally oriented toward a front46 and back48 of theseat assembly10—see alsoFIG. 1. Thefront42 of the housing40 includes afrangible portion50 which is easily broken by theairbag22 as it deploys. Thefrangible portion50 is disposed opposite thedeployment channel38 to facilitate deployment of the airbag along thechannel38 and out theseam28. Although the airbag housing40 comprises a relatively rigid material, in other embodiments, a thin sheet of material may be used in place of a rigid housing. In such embodiments, the sheet need not contain a frangible portion, as its properties will be such that it will tear as theairbag22 deploys.

As shown inFIG. 3, the first and

second portions

34,36 of thepad shield32 respectively include ends52,54 attached to thetrim cover18 at theseam28. This configuration helps to facilitate deployment of theairbag22 through theseam28. This is because thedeployment channel38 opens as theairbag22 is deployed, and this causes first and

second portions

34,36 to exert an outward force on thetrim cover18 at theseam28; this helps to open theseam28 to provide an easy exit for theairbag22. As shown inFIG. 3, theseam28 is sewn at

locations

56,58, where the ends52,54 of thepad shield32 are captured between portions of thetrim cover18. Theseam28 can also be sewn atlocation60, where ends of thetrim cover18 are sewn together with thepad shield32. This helps to transfer the force from thepad shield32, and facilitates separation of theseam28.

Although a pad shield, such as thepad shield32, may be a unitary structure, it may also consist of two

separate panels

34,36, such as shown in FIGS.2 and3. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 3, theend52 of thefirst portion34 of thepad shield32 is attached at theseam28 of thetrim cover18. Asecond end56 of thefirst portion34 of thepad shield32 is attached to theback44 of theairbag housing38, between theseat frame26 and theairbag housing38—seeFIG. 2. This provides a convenient means for securely attaching thefirst portion34 of thepad shield32. Similarly, theend54 of thesecond portion36 of thepad shield32 is attached at theseam28 of thetrim cover18—seeFIG. 3. Although not shown in the drawing figures, a second end of thesecond portion36 of thepad shield32 may be attached to a secure location within theseat assembly10, such as a point on theseat frame26. Thus, thepad shield32 not only provides a deployment channel for theairbag22, but also protects theseat pad16 from damage during the high velocity deployment. Moreover, because thepad shield32 is molded in situ with theseat pad16, it is accurately located and can be produced cost effectively.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat assembly, comprising:

a frame for mounting the seat assembly to a vehicle;

a seat pad including a molded polymeric material disposed proximate the frame;

a trim cover disposed over the seat pad and including a seam adjacent a side of the seat pad;

an airbag assembly, including an airbag and an inflator configured to supply gas to the airbag, thereby facilitating deployment of the airbag; and

a pad shield molded in situ with the seat pad and covering at least a portion of the seat pad for protecting the seat pad during the deployment of the airbag, the pad shield including first and second portions forming a deployment channel therebetween for the airbag.

2. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the deployment channel is oriented to facilitate deployment of the airbag through the seam in the trim cover.

3. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the first and second portions of the pad shield each include an end attached to the trim cover at the seam.

4. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the airbag assembly includes a housing at least partially surrounding the airbag and including a front generally oriented toward a front of the seat assembly, and a back generally oriented toward a back of the seat assembly, the front of the housing including a frangible portion disposed to facilitate deployment of the airbag along the deployment channel.

5. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 4, wherein the first and second portions of the pad shield are separate panels which come together to form the deployment channel opposite the front of the airbag housing.

6. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 5, wherein the first portion of the pad shield includes a first end attached to the trim cover at the seam, and a second end attached to the airbag housing.

7. A method of producing the vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 1, comprising:

placing the pad shield in a mold such that the first and second portions of the pad shield are disposed immediately adjacent each other along a predetermined length;

molding a polymeric material around the pad shield to form the seat pad with the pad shield attached thereto;

disposing the seat pad and pad shield proximate the air bag assembly such that the airbag will deploy along the predetermined length;

disposing the trim cover over the seat pad;

attaching an end of the first portion of the pad shield to the seam in the trim cover; and

attaching an end of the second portion of the pad shield to the seam in the trim cover.

8. A vehicle seat assembly, comprising:

a frame for mounting the seat assembly to a vehicle;

a seat pad including a molded polymeric material disposed proximate the frame;

a pad shield molded in situ with the seat pad and covering at least a portion of the seat pad for protecting the seat pad during deployment of the airbag, the pad shield including two separate portions cooperating with each other to form a deployment channel therebetween for the airbag such that deployment of the airbag along the deployment channel moves a portion of the seat pad away from the deploying airbag, while the pad shield inhibits contact between the seat pad and the deploying airbag, the orientation of the deployment channel facilitating deployment of the airbag through the seam in the trim cover.

9. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 8, wherein the first and second portions of the pad shield each include an end attached to the trim cover at the seam.

10. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 8, wherein the airbag assembly includes a housing at least partially surrounding the airbag and including a front generally oriented toward a front of the seat assembly, and a back generally oriented toward a back of the seat assembly, the front of the housing including a frangible portion disposed to facilitate deployment of the airbag along the deployment channel.

11. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 10, wherein the first and second portions of the pad shield come together to form the deployment channel opposite the front of the airbag housing.

12. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 11, wherein the first portion of the pad shield includes a first end attached to the trim cover at the seam, and a second end attached to the airbag housing.

13. A vehicle seat assembly, comprising:

a frame for mounting the seat assembly to a vehicle;

a seat pad including a molded polymeric material disposed proximate the frame;

an airbag assembly, including an airbag disposed at least partially within an airbag housing, and an inflator configured to supply gas to the airbag, thereby facilitating deployment of the airbag; and

a blocking member molded in situ with the seat pad and configured to form a barrier on at least two sides of the airbag, thereby prohibiting contact between the airbag and the seat pad during deployment of the airbag.

14. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 13, wherein the blocking member includes a cloth material.

15. The vehicle ofclaim 13, wherein the blocking member includes a polymeric material.

16. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 13, wherein the blocking member includes first and second portions cooperating to form a deployment channel oriented to facilitate deployment of the airbag through the seam in the trim cover.

17. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 16, wherein the first and second portions of the blocking member each include an end attached to the trim cover at the seam.

18. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 16, wherein the airbag assembly includes a housing at least partially surrounding the airbag and including a front generally oriented toward a front of the seat assembly, and a back generally oriented toward a back of the seat assembly, the front of the housing including a frangible portion disposed to facilitate deployment of the airbag along the deployment channel.

19. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 18, wherein the first and second portions of the blocking member come together to form the deployment channel opposite the front of the airbag housing.

20. The vehicle seat assembly ofclaim 18, wherein the first portion of the blocking member includes a first end attached to the trim cover at the seam, and a second end attached to the airbag housing.